


Rinkside

by howdoyoupavane



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2020-05-02 13:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19199869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howdoyoupavane/pseuds/howdoyoupavane
Summary: Baratheons are a hockey family. Selyse is not a Baratheon.





	1. The practice

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic ever! I hope you'll enjoy it and if not, then ain't that just the hockey experience at its core

Selyse was not a fan of hockey. She hated the loud noises as pucks hit the boards, the rowdy fans, the uncomfortable seats and the unholy stench of used hockey equipment. It was often a problem, as her husband did play ice hockey for a living, and Selyse couldn’t very well not support him. 

The smell was usually the least of these problems, though. Stannis knew not to bring his equipment into the living space, and it was very rare for Selyse to interact with Stannis while he had his gear on. 

Today was different. Stannis and she had created for themselves a shared weakness, and now the weakness was seven years old and wanted to see her father play. Stannis had already left for practice, and Shireen – the weakness – could not let it go. She wanted to make a big sign and go surprise him. 

“I’m not sure what materials we have, Shireen.” She was fishing for an excuse and felt embarrassed. She could almost hear the pucks hitting the boards. She felt a headache coming. 

“If I find some, will you help me make it?” Shireen pleaded. “And can we go surprise daddy at practice?” 

Shireen was a humble, sweet girl. She had been permanently scarred by an infection as an infant, and people in their ignorance would stare at her, even recoil from her. As if that hadn’t been unfair enough, she had inherited Stannis’ strong jaw and Selyse’s protruding ears. At times Selyse would have liked to apologize. 

“Alright.” Shireen had been quite well-behaved recently. She deserved a fun day out. With her square face and big, blue eyes and her persistent, silent plea to be loved. 

Shireen whooped with joy and ran upstairs. Selyse could hear her rummaging in her room, looking for the materials. It was entirely too easy for Shireen to bend them both to her will. And without even trying too hard. 

....

“Is this correct, mommy?” 

Selyse looked at Shireen’s sign. She had drawn her father in his black and gold jersey, looking uncharacteristically happy. Next to the drawing was a big yellow number 81, and under everything, with Shireen’s careful handwriting, the word “daddy”. It was a touching little sign. 

“It seems to be. Your father will like it.” 

Shireen smiled radiantly. She did have a lovely smile, which Selyse was glad for. “Can we go now?” 

They would have to, Selyse knew, or else the practice would be over before they got there. She nodded, suppressing a sigh. “Get your hat. I’ll bring the sign.” 

....

Shireen sprinted up to the boards and stood on her toes to see on the ice. Daddy and his teammates were still practicing. Some of them had white jerseys on, others had the black ones. One had a red jersey, and Shireen knew it meant he was recovering from an injury. They didn’t have their numbers while they practiced, but Shireen knew her father had the blackest beard and the handsomest face. She was looking for daddy, when mommy caught up with her. She set down a crate for Shireen to stand on and helped her hold the sign up. 

“Do you see him?” Shireen asked. 

“Yes. He is over there with uncle Andrew.” 

Uncle Andrew played goalie. He looked a little like an old-timey knight in his big pads and scary helmet. Shireen thought the goalies were the bravest as well, protecting the net from the pucks. Uncle Andrew seemed to be on a break; he had lifted his helmet and was now talking with daddy, gesturing towards the rest of the team. Daddy was leaning on his stick and nodded from time to time. 

“What is he doing?” Shireen asked, and mommy shrugged. 

“I think he’s talking about defense. You know daddy’s job is to help the goalie defend the net.” 

“I’d like to see him score.” 

“Well, you can watch Rolland Storm score, or Justin Massey.” Mommy nodded towards the other end of the rink, where the other goalie was blocking shots. Shireen wasn’t interested in seeing Rolland Storm or Justin Massey score. She was interested in seeing daddy score. She checked her sign. Daddy should notice it, if he just happened to look a little to the right.

Uncle Andrew put his helmet back on, and daddy skated over to center ice. He took a puck, gathered up some speed and slammed his stick into the puck. Shireen gasped excitedly, but uncle Andrew blocked the puck with his glove, the one that looked like a shield. 

“Oh no”, Shireen sighed. 

Daddy skated to the center ice again, and now he spotted Shireen’s sign. He looked surprised. Then he noticed Shireen and skated over. He tapped on the glass with his glove. 

“We came to surprise you, daddy!” Shireen shouted. 

“I am surprised!” 

“Oh, that’s good!” Shireen said. “Do you like my sign?” 

“Yes, it’s nice”, daddy nodded. “We’ll finish up soon, would you like to meet the team?” 

Shireen gasped. “Yes!” She looked over at mommy, who smiled like she did when she was tired. 

“We would love to”, mommy said. 

“Here”, daddy said, picked the puck up and tossed it over the glass. Mommy caught it from mid-air and handed it to Shireen. It was cold and wet and heavy. Daddy tapped the glass with his stick and slid away. Shireen pressed the puck against her cheek, the one with the scars that kinda looked cool. Her friend Devan had said so. Devan played hockey, too. He was even a defenseman like daddy.

“Mommy, could I play hockey?” 

Mommy adjusted Shireen’s hat and hair. She didn’t answer, so Shireen repeated the question. 

“It’s a tough sport, sweetie. Do you remember when daddy got hurt playing?” 

“I would be careful. Please, mommy, I just want to try, and I already know how to skate!” 

“We’ll think about it”, mommy said. She would talk with daddy about it, then. Shireen turned to watch him again. He and his teammates gathered in the middle of the rink and started stretching. They would be done soon. Shireen jumped off the crate she’d been standing on. 

“Do you think they’ll let me skate? If I ask nicely? Do you?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe.” 

Shireen grabbed her mother’s hand. “They might have skates for you too! We could all skate together!” 

“I can’t skate.” 

“Daddy can teach you!” 

Mommy laughed a little then. She patted Shireen’s head. “I don’t think he’ll have a thought to spare to me, once you get those blades on.” 

“So I can play?” 

“You can skate, if daddy skates with you”, mommy promised. She took Shireen near the players’ bench and entrance. Some players were already leaving and giving spectators fist bumps. Shireen stuck her fist out like the others. One player touched it with his glove and smiled at her. 

“Oh, it’s Stannis’ kid! Hi!” 

“Hello”, Shireen said politely. 

“Come with us, Selyse, he’ll be here soon”, the man said, reaching up to help them step down. 

Mommy said thank you with her tired voice. 

....

Stannis found his family in the hallway, waiting for him. Shireen let out an excited yelp and ran towards him. Stannis picked her up and saw Selyse cringe as the girl wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Stannis cringed back in solidarity. 

“Careful, I’m all sweaty”, Stannis said and set Shireen down. 

“I don’t mind. Did you have fun, daddy?” 

“Yes, it was a good practice”, Stannis nodded. “Do you want to come in?” 

Shireen slipped her hand into his. “You are so tall with your skates on”, she observed, as Stannis led her to the dressing room. The guys were already getting changed, but stopped as Shireen and Selyse stepped in. Stannis introduced everyone to Shireen, who had seen the guys before, but been too young to remember them anymore. Some new players gave her face curious looks. Luckily, though, nobody made any comments. 

Andrew Estermont still had his pads on, as he bent down to smile at Shireen. “Hello, Shireen. I wonder if you remember me?” 

“Yes. You are uncle Andrew”, Shireen said shyly, half-hidden behind Stannis’ shins. “I - I like your mask.” 

“Thank you, I like it too!” Andrew took his mask from the self and held it up so Shireen could take a closer look. I had a turtle motif, and the turtle’s shell was made of bricks. It was a clever design, Stannis admitted. 

“Why does it have a turtle on it?” Shireen asked. 

“It’s an important symbol for my family”, Andrew smiled. “And when I came to the team, the boys called me a turtle. I was so skinny that I looked like a turtle coming out of his shell when I had all the equipment on.” Andrew mimicked a turtle withdrawing into his shell, and Shireen giggled. She came forward but kept holding onto the hem of Stannis’ jersey. 

“Can I touch it?” she asked. 

“May I”, Stannis corrected. He heard some of the younger guys snort behind him. He was in for some merciless chirping later. 

“May I touch it?” Shireen asked meekly. 

“You may.” Shireen touched the mask gingerly, ran her fingers over the artwork, and peered in through the metal cage. Andrew pointed out some little details that Stannis hadn’t even noticed. While Shireen was busy admiring the mask, Stannis glanced at Selyse. She had her arms folded, and held a handkerchief in front of her nose. It was as close to torture as it got, to take her to a post-practice dressing room. For some reason, Shireen didn’t seem to mind the smell. Stannis felt like he should have approached his wife to offer some sort of comfort, but the sweetest comfort he could currently offer her was to stay well away. 

“Are you alright?” Stannis asked. 

“We should go”, Selyse said tersely. “You’ll want to change. Shireen?” 

“Oh, but I wanted to play!” Shireen said. She looked up at Stannis. “Please, please, please!” 

Stannis glanced at Selyse again. Selyse misunderstood, or maybe the smell had overpowered her. 

“I’ll go get her skates from the car!” she said eagerly, thrust Shireen’s sign at Stannis and left. Stannis looked at his likeness. It smiled more widely than Stannis had ever smiled in real life. Shireen gave his jersey a shy little tug. 

“Daddy, you will you skate with me?” 

“Yes, of course. Davos, could you find her a helmet?” 

The equipment manager nodded and left. Stannis sat down at his stall, and Shireen sat hurriedly next to him. She looked at Andrew with pure awe on her face. Andrew started taking his pads off, and Shireen tugged on Stannis’ jersey again, with more urgency. 

“Daddy, could uncle Andrew play with us?” Shireen whispered. 

“I don’t know. I’m sure he’d like to go home.” 

“Who would?” Justin, who sat at the next stall, asked. He had just arrived and added a new layer of ripeness to the air. 

“Shireen and I will go take some shots at the net”, Stannis explained. “Shireen, do you remember Justin?” 

“No.” 

“Well, I am pretty new”, Justin smiled. “Can I join you?” 

“May I”, Shireen whispered next to Stannis. 

“I’ll talk to him about it... later”, Stannis whispered back. “You probably can”, he said to Justin. 

“Estermont, we’ll need you between the pipes”, Justin said sort of insolently. Stannis wasn’t sure he liked him yet, and he’d been on the team for two months already. Andrew looked surprised as well. 

“If Shireen wants me to”, Andrew said calmly. Shireen squeezed Stannis’ wrist. 

“Yes, please”, she whispered. 

“She does”, Stannis nodded. “Thank you.” 

Andrew smiled and started strapping his pads back on. Shireen got her skates and helmet, and her smile grew wider every minute. Stannis knew the feeling but had not anticipated his daughter feeling it. He loved playing. But the game was fast-paced and rough, and Stannis had learned to appreciate his natural sturdiness very quickly. Shireen, on the other hand, suddenly seemed very small and delicate in all but spirit.

“Do you think you’ll like hockey?” 

“I love it”, Shireen nodded. The metal cage on her kid helmet rattled slightly. Stannis couldn’t help smiling as he adjusted it. 

“I know you like watching us play. But are you scared of falling?” 

“No, because you’ll help me up. Right?” 

“Right”, Stannis nodded. He tugged on the laces a little. “Does everything feel ok? Can you move your toes?” 

Shireen swung her feet a little. “Yes. Let’s go!” 

“Alright. Where’d your mother go?” 

Selyse had disappeared after delivering the skates. Davos pointed towards the hallway. “I think she went to the stands.” 

“Makes sense. Come on, up you get.” 

Shireen hopped down from the bench and swayed a little. Stannis took her hand in his to steady her. Shireen found her balance and looked up at Stannis. “I feel taller”, she said happily.

“You look taller”, Stannis nodded. It was half a lie, but for some reason, he didn’t feel guilty for telling it.


	2. First skate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to hockey! Hope you enjoy part two!

“Alright”, Andrew said, settling into his crease. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Shireen!” 

Shireen clutched her little stick. She had found her feet very quickly, but as soon as Stannis had handed her the stick, she’d stopped moving. Entirely. Stannis wasn’t sure she was breathing. 

“You heard the man, Shireen”, Stannis said, giving her skates a gentle tap with his stick. Shireen wobbled a little. Stannis let her steady herself and guided her stick onto the ice. “You have to relax, Shireen. Here, put your hands like this.” 

“Show me how”, Shireen said with the tiniest voice. Stannis bent his back and showed Shireen how to hold the stick. Shireen had always been quick to learn. She mimicked Stannis’ position, shakily at first. As Stannis praised her, she begun to look more confident. 

“Well done. Now, as you skate, it’s easier to just hold the stick one hand, but when you handle the puck, use two.” 

“You don’t always use two”, Shireen pointed out. 

“Well, as you get older...” Stannis glanced at Justin and Andrew, who seemed to be practicing penalty shots. They’d want to go home soon. “Do you want to take a shot?” 

“Alright”, Shireen nodded. Stannis passed a puck to her, and very, very shakily she approached the goal. She lost control of the puck a couple of times, but she was nothing if not persistent. She stopped very close to the crease, slammed her stick into the puck, and sent it sliding. It made its way towards Andrew, who made a show of reaching for it. He flopped onto his side half a second after the puck went over the line. 

“We-heyyyy!” Justin whooped. “Attagirl, Shireen!” 

Shireen held her little fist up for fist bumps like she’d seen Stannis’ team do on tv, and Justin and Stannis celebrated her first goal with her. Justin asked if she wanted to go again, and to all their surprise, Shireen shook her head. 

“Didn’t you like it?” Stannis asked. 

“I did.” 

“Then what’s wrong?” 

“I would like to be a goalie.” 

... 

Next things Stannis knew, Shireen was in front on Andrew in his crease, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She copied Andrew’s position carefully. Justin and Stannis stood at the blue line, preparing to take some shots on her. 

“Be careful”, Stannis reminded Justin. 

“What do you think I’m gonna do, slapshot her right into the net?” Justin laughed. “I’m not an idiot, cap.” 

“I had to make sure”, Stannis said, and Justin laughed again. He laughed too much in general. Then he prepared what looked like a slapshot. Stannis winced. The puck never left the surface of the ice, though, and slid harmlessly past Shireen. It collided with Andrew’s pads. 

“It’s alright, I’ve got you”, Andrew said to Shireen. He sent the puck to the boards. “Stannis, do your worst!” 

“I will not”, Stannis muttered. He reached for a puck, made some rather convincing dekes, and suddenly took a shot. The puck collided with Shireen’s skate. Shireen shrieked with joy. 

“Daddy! I stopped the puck! I did a save, did you see?” 

“I did! Well done!” 

Justin went after the puck and stopped next to Shireen. He bent over to whisper something into her ear. Stannis heard her gasp softly, and then Justin came back over to the blue line. 

“What did you say?” Stannis asked, annoyed. 

“Nothing. Just teaching her some basics.” Justin leaned on his stick. “Alright there, Shireen? Let’s see if daddy can score on you!” 

“I’m not your daddy, Massey.” 

“Aren’t you, though?” 

Stannis adjusted his helmet and threw a scalding look at Justin. He was just preparing to take a shot, when Shireen called out. 

“Daddy, are you tired?” 

“Pardon?” 

“Do you wanna go to bed?” 

“What are you talking about?” Stannis stopped to look at his daughter carefully. 

“Oh... I messed it up”, Shireen groaned. Andrew consoled her with an affectionate tap on her helmet. 

“I’ve got you, it’s fine”, he said. 

“What’s going on? Can I shoot?” Stannis called out, thoroughly baffled. 

“Yeah, we were just waiting for you to wake up from your afternoon nap, old man!” Andrew said, and Shireen let out a gasp and a giggle. Stannis straightened his back. 

“Is that chirping? Are you two reprobates trying to teach my daughter to chirp?” 

“Can’t very well expect you to teach her”, Justin smirked. Stannis was rendered speechless. Justin clapped him on the back. “Your dazzling smile is thanks enough, cap. You wanna take the shot?” 

“I’ll thank you later”, Stannis promised and took off again. He did as Justin did ad started faking a slapshot. Shireen looked determined to stop it, his brave little warrior. At the last second Stannis lifted the puck neatly past Shireen, over Andrew’s right shoulder, and into the net. Both Shireen and Andrew groaned in defeat. 

“So sorry to have interrupted your nap!” Stannis called out, skating past them. 

“Aw, that’s mean”, Andrew huffed. He fished the puck out of the net and held it out to Stannis. “You wanna hold onto this? It’s your first goal of the season!” 

“Don't you try to lie to her, she knows my stats better than I do!” 

... 

They carried on like that, taking some shots and chirping like witless birds, until half an hour later, Stannis declared an end to the practice. He had had enough, but Shireen clearly hadn’t. She let out a tiny groan of protest. Andrew bent down to tap her helmet with his. 

“You heard the captain. Thanks for helping me out, Shireen.” 

Even disappointed, Shireen would never forget her manners. “Thank you, uncle Andrew. Thank you, mister Massey! I had so much fun!” Shireen skated towards Stannis. Her hockey stop needed a bit of work, but she stopped herself by colliding with Stannis and trusting he’d catch her. “Daddy”, she said, breathless from the hit and from all the excitement, “when can I come and practice again?” 

“I don’t know when we can practice here, but you and I can practice penalty shots in the backyard tonight, if you’d like.” Stannis took her hand in his. She had played with ice shavings, and now her hand was all cold and wet. They skated together towards the tunnel, and Justin whistled in that annoying way he always did. He tapped Stannis’ shins with his stick. 

“Hey, Stannis. Your girl is almost as good at puck handling as you are.” 

“Insult my daughter again, and I’ll put you through the glass, Massey.” 

Justin looked taken aback. Andrew had been on the team longer and knew to laugh. Shireen didn’t even seem to have heard; she’d spotted her mother making her way down the stands. Stannis stepped off the ice and offered Selyse his hand. She made an effort to smile as she took it and hopped down, immediately letting go again. 

“Mommy! Did you see me play?” Shireen asked. 

“I did”, Selyse said, and as she took Shireen’s other hand, her smile was much more natural. “Did you have fun?” 

“The most fun ever!” Shireen said happily. “I wanna start playing!” 

Selyse look at Stannis with horror in her eyes. Her gaze seemed to be directed at Stannis’ nose in particular. It had been slightly off-kilter for as long as Shireen had been in this world; for all they knew, Shireen thought Stannis had been born with his nose askew. In fact, Stannis had taken a slapshot to the face the day Shireen had been born, and he’d had to meet his only child high on pain medication, looking like he’d gotten run over by a zamboni. Selyse had tried to make him promise their daughter would never play hockey, and Stannis had promised not to try to get her into it. He was glad he hadn’t promised anything that wasn’t his to promise. 

“It’s a big decision, Shireen”, Stannis said carefully. “We’ll have to talk about it when you’ve calmed down a bit, alright?” 

“Oh wow. Who called the fun police?” Justin whispered right behind Stannis. 

“Justin. Twenty push-ups for commenting on my private life.” 

Justin dropped down immediately. Shireen looked impressed. When they stepped into the dressing room, she sat down beside Stannis again. 

“Are you like, everybody’s boss?” she asked. 

“I am the team captain”, Stannis corrected. 

“But a captain is a boss. In ships, anyway.” 

Selyse crouched down to untie Shireen’s skates. She glanced at Stannis. “I think daddy’s being modest”, she said. 

“I’m not. This is not a ship, girls. This is a team, and we are all equals”, Stannis said, getting a little annoyed again. “I’m not higher in the hierarchy than anyone. I have been given the duty of serving the rest of the team as the captain." 

“What does it mean, then?” Shireen pressed on. Stannis bent down to take his skates off. Selyse ripped the skates off Shireen’s feet, presumably in a hurry to get away from Stannis’. Shireen didn’t seem to notice. 

“It means I take care of the others. I make sure we are equals. I make sure there’s no bullying or fighting among the teammates. Everyone needs to feel welcome here.” Even Justin, Stannis had to remind himself. 

“So... you’re like their daddy?” 

“Absolutely not. I’m nobody’s daddy but yours. I’m their captain”, Stannis said sternly. He heard Andrew snort in his corner. Justin, luckily, hadn’t arrived yet. 

“Alright”, Shireen said meekly, “I think I understand.” 

“Good. Let’s go, Shireen, you must be hungry”, Selyse said. Shireen and Selyse said her goodbyes and left. Justin came in a moment later and looked at Stannis, smiling, as usual. 

“How do you have such a sweet little girl?” 

“Well, it must be because she is her own person”, Stannis said. “Thank you both for humouring her. You didn’t have to do it, and I appreciate it.” 

“It was no trouble.” Andrew threw his jersey into the laundry pile. “She’s a great kid.” 

“Yeah she is. And an artist too!” Justin added, gesturing at the sign Shireen had made. 

“It’s a beautiful picture of you, cap”, Davos said, smiling. He had come in to take care of the equipment. He had always had a soft spot for Shireen, and so did his son, Devan. The boy often played with Shireen, despite being several years older. Devan was a promising skater himself, although Stannis hadn’t seen him actually play yet. 

“It’s fine”, Stannis said. He thought he heard his voice quiver ever so slightly. He had to cough to hide it. 

“You don’t think it’s beautiful?” 

“It’s a picture of me. I can hardly call it beautiful”, Stannis huffed. “Who do you think I am? Renly?” 

“Oh my god, that’s not remotely the point”, Justin groaned. 

“I’m going to hit the gym. See you boys later”, Stannis said, gathering his things. He would have to find a place for Shireen’s sign. It was very impressive. On a technical level.


	3. And now there's a puppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hockey's back!

The car ride home usually took only fifteen minutes, but today it felt to Selyse like a cross-continental road trip. Shireen had never been a particularly talkative child. Today was different, though. In fifteen minutes, she went over Stannis’ stats, Andrew’s save percentage, the team’s collective points and standing in the league, and how well the team would have to still play to make the playoffs. 

“And mommy? This season daddy has made more points per game than-” 

“We’re home!” Selyse exclaimed, stopping the car in front of their house. “Look, Devan's here.” 

Devan Seaworth was indeed waiting for them on the porch, with a puppy, no less. The dog perked up on Devan’s lap when Shireen and Selyse approached. 

“Devan! You have a puppy?” Shireen asked, breathless with excitement. 

“Yes! Well, he’s mine, Stannis’, and Steffon’s, actually. I thought you’d like to meet him.” Devan looked at Selyse. “Hello, mrs. Baratheon. May Shireen play with us?” 

“Of course. As long as the dog doesn’t destroy anything. And... pick up after it, please, Devan.” 

“I will”, Devan nodded. He let Shireen hold the puppy, and it licked her face. Shireen giggled happily. 

“I’ll get started on dinner, Shireen.” Selyse didn’t check to see if Shireen had heard her; for some odd reason she trusted Devan to tell her, if she ever happened to notice her departure. 

...

“What’s his name?” Shireen asked, as the puppy nibbled at her braid. He was the cutest little thing Shireen had ever seen, all black except for a tiny dot of white on his left ear. 

“We haven’t decided yet. I wanna call him Deke, and Stannis wants to call him Blades. Steffon thinks his name should be Puppy.” Devan smiled. “And that’s just us three.” 

The puppy squirmed, and Devan said it was ok to let him run around. Shireen let him. The puppy immediately went to mom’s flowerbed and tried to bite the stalks. Devan steered him gently away from the flowers, and he ran to where Shireen’s street hockey setup was piled up next to the garage. Devan and Shireen laughed as he started wrestling with Shireen’s hockey stick. Devan took another stick and a ball. Before he had made a move with the stick, the puppy leaped at the ball, barking and wagging his tail furiously. Devan waited, until the puppy let go of the ball for a second, and flipped it from his reach. 

“Come on, Shireen, get your stick!” Devan said, laughing as the puppy tried to take the ball back, yipping happily all the while. Shireen grabbed her stick. This really was the best day ever. 

...

After the puppy lost interest in hockey, Devan and Shireen sat down on the porch and watched him explore the garden. Shireen told Devan about her day, and Devan was just as impressed as Shireen had hoped he’d be. Shireen told him the story behind uncle Andrew’s mask, how funny Justin Massey was, and how nice Devan’s dad had been again. The last fact didn’t really seem to impress Devan. Shireen supposed he was used to his dad being nice. 

“Did you see Rolland Storm’s slapshot?” Devan asked eagerly. 

“I think so, but he didn’t practice with us and he didn’t talk to me at all”, Shireen said. The puppy waddled towards them, and Devan gave him water from a bottle he had with him. 

“I kinda think Storm has a better clapper than your dad”, Devan said. “It looks so fast.” 

Shireen didn’t think anyone had a better anything than her dad, but mom had talked to her about biases. She knew she had those. 

“Maybe”, she said finally, “but daddy has more minutes on ice per game.” 

Devan smiled. “You’re right.” He looked at his watch. “Shoot, I’m late for dinner. Come on, puppy.” 

Shireen got up and hugged Devan and the puppy, before they left. “By the way”, Devan said, “ask your mom if you both could come over tomorrow. We could all watch the game together.” 

“I will”, Shireen nodded. She loved nothing more than going to the Seaworths’. Devan’s mom had seven sons, and some of them had kids of their own. Mrs. Seaworth spent a lot of time in their big, light kitchen, and every time Shireen went to visit, she got to bake with her. Devan’s brothers felt like Shireen’s brothers as well; they mussed her hair and joked with her. It was nice, especially as mommy and daddy didn’t seem to want any more kids. Shireen had asked for siblings, but none seemed to appear. 

“I think Edric’s gonna come over as well”, Devan added. “You can put him in his place if he gets annoying.” 

Shireen giggled. “I don’t know how to do that!” 

It was at that moment that daddy came home. He parked his car right next to mommy’s and stepped out. “Hello, Shireen, Devan”, he said, eyeing the dog suspiciously. “Who’s this?” 

“This is my puppy”, Devan said. “He doesn’t have a name yet.” 

Shireen wrapped her arms around daddy’s waist. “Devan asked mommy and me to go over tomorrow to watch the game, daddy, can we go?” 

“Tomorrow?” When Shireen looked up, he saw daddy’s jaw was doing the thing again. “I don’t know, Shireen, I’ll have to talk about it with your mother.” 

Shireen wanted to argue but bit her tongue. Something in daddy’s tone suggested arguing would do no good. Devan said bye and left, and daddy and Shireen went inside. Daddy had showered, so mommy let him give her a kiss. 

...

Shireen waited until they had eaten and cleaned the table. She knew mommy was in a good mood after dinner. Mommy was sitting at the kitchen counter, writing something on her laptop. Daddy was making coffee. This was a good moment to ask. Shireen went to mommy and told her they were invited to go visit Marya and the boys tomorrow. 

“Oh, that sounds great”, mommy said happily. “I do need to do some shopping for your uncle Renly’s wedding, that’s perfect timing.” 

“They asked you to come too!” Shireen reminded her. 

“I’m sorry, sweetie. I really need to get it done. But I can drop you off at their house and come get you in the evening.” 

“Selyse, I told her we’d need to talk about it”, daddy interrupted them. 

“What for?” 

Daddy took mommy by the elbow, and they moved a couple of paces to the right, like Shireen wouldn’t hear them. 

“They’re going to watch the game. Tomorrow.” 

“I'm sure.” 

“Tomorrow, Selyse.” 

“Yes, I understand.” 

“It’s Highgarden.” 

“Oh.” 

Highgarden was where uncle Renly played now, Shireen knew. Golden Knights of Highgarden. Their colours were green and gold. They had Garlan Tyrell in their team, and right now he led the league in points. It was early days, though. 

“Can you just... not do the shenanigans?” mommy asked daddy after thinking for a second. 

“Well, I can promise not to start anything, but I still have to stand up for my team. Last time they collided with Andrew. On purpose.” 

“You can’t prove that.” 

“I can. I did, if I recall correctly. You admitted it looked intentional.” 

“I had to admit it could have been, but you pressured me. Stannis, what are the officials there for?” 

“My point exactly!” 

They stopped and looked at Shireen. Shireen smiled at them. They liked it when she smiled. 

“I don’t know if I like that smile”, daddy said. 

“Shireen, if someone starts fighting tomorrow, close your eyes”, mommy suggested. 

“The Seaworths?” 

“If they start fighting, you are to call your mother immediately. Do you think they might?” 

“No”, Shireen shook her head. “Can I go if I promise not to watch any fighting?” 

“Will Marya be there?” daddy asked. 

“Of course. Devan wouldn’t have invited us if she wasn’t going to be there”, Shireen reasoned. 

Daddy and mommy looked at each other. “As long as Marya is with them, I guess it’ll be fine”, daddy said. He sounded really annoyed. 

“And as long as you keep your boys in line, it’ll be even finer”, mommy said. They both laughed at that. Shireen supposed it must have been an adult joke. She never got those.


	4. Game day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Baratheons meet again! It goes so well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about all the swearing but that's how hockey players communicate

“I’m mic’d up”, Richard Horpe said, as they were doing their warmups on the ice. Stannis glanced at his scarred, bruised face. The rough countenance hid an even rougher tongue. What the hell were they thinking, giving Richard Horpe a mic? 

“Oh, you are? For the whole game?” 

“Nah. I tend to get a little bit r-rated during the game, don’t know if you’ve picked up on that. There might be kids watching.” 

“Oh yeah. There's a slim chance.” 

“Don’t get smart with me. I might let something slip.” 

“They never should’ve picked you”, Stannis said. Richard laughed and skated off to take some shots on the goal. Stannis turned and noticed Renly stretching next to his bench. Renly noticed him, too. As usual during the warmups, he had no helmet on. The flow needs to be appreciated, he had said once, and it still was the most stunningly vain thing Stannis had ever heard.

“Hi, Stan!” Renly said pleasantly.

“Hello.” Stannis dropped down onto the ice, stretching his legs.

“You look good today. Well. Better.” Renly lowered himself to Stannis’ level, imitating his stretches. “Are you trying to come for my title as the handsomest Baratheon?” 

“The most handsome”, Stannis corrected. “You can keep that title. Seems useless.” 

“Well, only if you don’t know how to use it”, Renly smirked. “But I guess the title of the grumpiest Baratheon is more useful to you?” 

Stannis had never had to endure a more meaningless conversation. He leaned back. Renly mimicked him again. “They hate you here now”, Stannis said, just to change the subject. “Why would you request a trade to Highgarden of all places?” 

“It’s a good team. We’re definitely contenders for the cup.” 

Stannis let out a bark of laughter. “The Golden Knights? Contenders?” 

Renly stopped mimicking Stannis. “We’re getting better. We’ve got chemistry.” Now he was getting annoyed. Stannis thought of Shireen, who was likely buzzing with excitement. Stannis didn’t like the thought of her seeing her uncle smash her father into the boards. He had to dial it down. 

“Maybe you do. I’ve seen my share of improbable success stories.” 

“Don’t be nice to me. Gives me the creeps.” Renly tapped Stannis’ shins with his stick. “Anyway. You understand why I wanted out, right?” 

“Yeah. You’ve got a problem with authority, which I guess is not an issue in Highgarden?” 

“I do have a problem with authority. Your authority, you sanctimonious piece of-” 

“Let’s not disappoint our mother any further, ok?” 

“Fuck you and good luck. Keep your head up”, Renly said casually. He got up, finally. “Have you fixed Shireen’s face, by the way?” 

“Fixed her face?” Stannis repeated, spluttering. He was suddenly on his feet as well. “What the fuck does that mean?” 

“The scars or whatever”, Renly said, gesturing to his own flawless face. Stannis would have given a year of his life to smack it. “I mean, I thought you might do it before my wedding, so she can look pretty in the-” 

“Just stop talking, alright?” Stannis hissed. “I know you’re trying to rile me up, but you do not comment on my daughter! That’s off-limits!” 

“Stannis, I’m waiting for you.” Andrew bumped into Stannis’ shoulder. He had hoisted his mask up off his face. He looked at Renly and nodded curtly. "Hi, Renly. Homesick?” 

“You wish”, Renly said with a laugh. 

“Then kindly fuck off”, Andrew said. “Don’t know about the Tin Men, but we’re about to play some hockey.” 

“So salty. Bye, Standrew”, Renly said. He skated away, and Stannis heard him whistle as he went. Andrew tugged at Stannis’ arm. Stannis had shared with him his misgivings about Shireen watching this particular game. Andrew had been very understanding. He had promised to keep things as calm as possible in the defensive end, but Stannis knew his team. As soon as one of the Knights touched Andrew, all hell would break loose. 

“You look like you’re about to take a suspension. What’d he say?” Andrew asked. 

“Asked if I’ve fixed... if I’ve fixed Shireen’s face.” Anger boiled in Stannis’ gut at the thought of it. 

“What a little shit. We’ll bury them for you, cap”, Andrew promised, pushing his mask back on. “Take some shots at me before we gotta go?” 

“Sure.” Stannis took a deep breath. “Give me a second.” 

“No more, though. Get him out of your head.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do”, Stannis snapped. Andrew chuckled and took his place in between the pipes. 

...

“They’ll try to get under our skin, but we knew that already, ok?” Stannis said, as the guys gathered into the tunnel to get ready for the game. He had to raise his voice somewhat. “But we’re not gonna lose our cool this time, gents, ok? Rolland! What are we not gonna do?” 

“Lose our fucking cool, cap’n!” Rolland Storm hollered from the other end. 

“Attaboy, Stormy!” Stannis could no more. “Keep your cool, guys, don’t take the bait!” 

“Let’s go Stags!” 

“Kick some golden ass, boys!” 

“Let’s fucking go!” 

Andrew and Stannis led their badly-behaved bunch of misfits out onto the ice. Their hooting and hollering was drowned out by the announcer’s hyped-up yelling and the crowd’s roaring. Stannis stepped onto the slick surface and saw Renly step out almost at the same time. Cheers turned into boos. Stannis thought he saw his brother smile. Renly did always love the attention. 

As the announcer called out the starting lineup, Stannis noticed his name got the loudest cheer of all. He suspected it was because of Renly’s betrayal. Stannis couldn’t resist looking at Renly and smirking. Apparently, he had come for Renly’s title after all.

...

The game started well enough. The Stags were fired up and goal-hungry. The Golden Knights seemed to be taken aback by the Stags’ attack, and it didn’t take Justin long to take advantage of it. Their second goal was scored by the rookie, Gendry. Gendry was Robert’s son and shared his father’s talent, if not his personality. Stannis thank the gods for it every day. It was Gendry’s first goal in the league and met with appropriate excitement. Gendry himself couldn’t help but crack a smile. 

“The kid’s gonna be a beauty”, their backup goalie, Allard, commented to Stannis, as Gendry came over to collect his congratulations from the bench. 

“I hope so”, Stannis answered. He gave Gendry a fist bump and a smile. It was lucky Gendry had his mother’s last name, or neither Stannis nor Renly could claim to be the handsomest Baratheon in the building. 

...

The joy was short-lived, though. The Golden Knights couldn’t seem to give Andrew his space. They were almost at the end of the first period, when Andrew, after covering the puck, was shoved from behind by one of the Knights. It didn’t seem dangerous, but Stannis couldn’t let it slide. He took the man by the back of his jersey and yanked him away from Andrew. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked. The man looked up at Stannis. A rookie and an idiot, with all the nervous energy to go with it. 

“Nothing”, he said. “I tried to get the puck.” 

“After the whistle? Are you hard of hearing?” 

“Get off him!” Garlan Tyrell was suddenly right in Stannis’ face, pushing him. Stannis let go of the boy, but it was too little, too late. An all-out scrum broke out in front of the net, with Stannis right in the middle of it. He couldn’t help but think he’d look a little hypocritical to Shireen at that moment.


	5. Breakaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the game. Flip a person over like a pancake and suddenly they're mad at you?

“Ooooh, a scrum!” Edric shouted. Shireen clapped her hands over her eyes. The puppy had fallen asleep on her lap, even though the boys were being very noisy. Devan was here of course, and his two little brothers. Devan’s big brother Matthos sat in the big chair with Steffon on his lap. And Edric had arrived as well, right after Shireen. Sometimes Marya popped in to see how the Stags were doing. Shireen suspected she also did it to make sure the boys weren’t fighting. 

“Oh, come on, a penalty?” Devan groaned. 

“That was clearly slashing, so, yeah!” 

Edric was a Golden Knights fan. Uncle Renly was also his uncle, and for some reason he liked uncle Renly more than he liked Shireen’s daddy. 

“Shireen, you can look, they stopped”, Stannis said, nudging Shireen’s side. 

Shireen looked. Richard Horpe was being escorted to the penalty box. He was shouting something and looking angry. Only 24 seconds left of the first period. 

“Number forty-eight, Storm’s End, two minutes for slashing”, the referee said to his mic. The Seaworths and Shireen groaned. Edric clapped his hands. 

“Who was slashed?” Shireen asked. 

“Uncle Renly.” 

“Oh no, is he ok?” 

“He’s fine”, Devan reassured her. “Look, there he is on the bench.” 

There was just enough time for the Golden Knights to get one last shot on the goal, and then the period was over. The camera focused on Richard Horpe as he was let out of the box. Daddy went to him and said something, and Horpe shook his head. Then the cameras cut to the crowd. 

“Pizza’s ready!” Marya said happily and put on the lights in the living room. “How’re our boys doing?” 

“I saw Allard on the bench!” Steffon said. 

“Two to none”, Devan said, “Justin Massey and Gendry scored, and Stannis – I mean, mr. Baratheon had an assist.” 

“It’s going well, then. And you saw Allard!” 

“I did! He was sitting next to Gendry!” 

Edric and the Seaworths got up and went to wash their hands. Shireen had difficulties getting up without waking the puppy. Finally, Matthos picked him up very carefully, but he woke up anyway. Shireen felt bad. 

“Don’t worry”, Matthos said, smiling. “He needed to wake up anyway, or he would’ve been up all night.” 

Matthos was right, of course. 

...

“Alright, so we did not keep our cool”, was the first thing coach Cressen said, as they took their places in the dressing room after the first period. He was a good coach, but sometimes his kind nature made him feel more like a babysitter to this ill-behaved group of adult children. Even now he looked at them like he was a mildly disappointed grandparent. He had hinted at retirement a couple of times, but here he still was. 

“It was unfortunate that they had to go after Andrew again”, Stannis said. He refused to take responsibility. He was in the right. 

“Well, it’s no problem. We kept it together before that, so we’ll leave this in the past. Kill the penalty and keep pushing.” 

Stannis glanced at Horpe, who had been the one to take the penalty. To be fair, slashing at Renly had made him very popular among the crowd, but now they had to start the period short-handed. Horpe looked back at Stannis and shrugged. Remorse would have been very out-of-character, anyway. 

...

“Can you maintain any control over your collection of dumb fucks?” 

Stannis rarely used such language, but he was, quite frankly, fed up with the Golden Knights and their attempts to draw penalties from the Stags. He had to say something to Garlan Tyrell, while the ice was being cleaned. 

“I can, and I thought we were just playing as usual. What’s up?” 

Garlan was one of the less annoying Tyrells. The one Renly was marrying was on the opposite end of the spectrum. Still, Stannis didn’t want to explain the situation to Garlan. He just huffed and took a drink of water. Garlan waited, cleaning his visor. 

“I just wanted to have a clean game, with no useless penalties. A good game of hockey. Just this once.” 

Garlan smiled, almost patronizingly. “Why tonight? You know we have a... a relationship.” 

“You’re right”, Stannis said. He was regretting the whole conversation already. He did regret most of them, so Garlan needn’t feel special. 

“For what it’s worth, I think you guys are holding it together quite well”, Garlan said. He really was too kind. “Congratulations on your dumb fucks, I guess.” 

“Sure, thanks”, Stannis nodded and went back to his teammates. “Let’s put some pressure on them, yeah?” he said, and his dumb fucks agreed. They had a good energy going on, that much was true. They only had to keep it going for thirty more minutes. 

...

When the third period kicked off, the Stags had four goals to the Golden Knights’ two. Shireen was disappointed uncle Andrew couldn’t get a shutout, but letting in only two goals and making 29 saves was not bad. Edric was pouting. 

“The refs are so biased”, he said. 

“No, they aren’t”, Matthos laughed. “The Knights just suck.” 

“Don’t be rude to our guests, Matt”, Marya said. She was sitting in a comfy chair, with a cup of tea in her hands. She made Shireen feel so safe, sipping her tea and gasping softly every time something happened that wasn’t skating or passing. She was the kindest woman Shireen had ever met. 

“Sorry, mom”, Matthos said. Marya nodded, smiling. Then she looked at the screen and gasped again. 

“Oh, my goodness. Was that Stannis?” 

Shireen had been distracted, but when she looked again, daddy had the puck. The Golden Knights were in the middle of a line change, and daddy was already at the center ice. He was going to take the shot. 

“Go go go go!” they all shouted, even Marya. Edric had his hands on his face. 

“And he scores!” the commentator shouted. Shireen, Devan and Stannis jumped up and down on the sofa. Shireen screamed, and Stannis hugged her tight and shouted, that now they were going to win for sure. Matthos threw Steffon up into the air and caught him, and Steffon screamed with laughter. Marya cheered too. Only Edric wasn’t happy, but that was to be expected. He would sulk for a while, Shireen knew. 

Daddy and his teammates were celebrating his goal, and daddy was taller than any of them. He was smiling more widely than he ever did at home. The cameras cut to uncle Renly, who was looking grumpy. He had a fresh bruise on his cheek, and a small scar as well. 

“Wait, what happened to uncle Renly?” Shireen asked, confused. 

“Your dad checked him, and he fell and hit his face on something. It’s ok, he didn’t get badly hurt”, Devan added hastily. “It was just unlucky.” 

“And his wedding is so soon”, Marya said sympathetically. “Well, I’m sure it won’t matter on the day.” 

...

Stannis and his team were just giving Andrew his congratulations and leaving the ice, when Loras Tyrell approached. He looked furious. Stannis was not sure why. It wasn’t the first time the Golden Knights had lost. Surely they were used to it by now. 

“Yes?” he said, before Loras was within punching distance. 

“You really are a jealous old bitch, aren’t you?” 

“Excuse me?” It wasn’t the worst thing Stannis had heard said of himself. Ever, or even tonight. Still, it was a surprisingly specific critique. 

“You just had to mess up Renly’s face, didn’t you? Right before his wedding?” 

Stannis hadn’t noticed he had done so. He'd knocked Renly out of the way to get the puck, but Renly had gone to the bench right after, and Stannis hadn’t seen anything wrong with him. 

“Was he injured? Gonna miss any games? Will he be unable to walk down the aisle?” 

“What? No!” 

“Then I don’t see what the problem is.” 

“You wouldn’t, you ugly bastard.” Loras tried to punch Stannis, and Stannis had to grab him by the jersey and hold him at arm’s length. Garlan came and took his brother away, thankfully. Loras threw some expletives at Stannis over Garlan's shoulder, which made Stannis assume himself uninvited from the wedding. Wouldn’t hurt to go see Renly after this, though. They were still brothers. He turned back to his team. 

“Come get your glove taps”, he said, raising his fist. 

“You can't hurry glove”, Allard said, and Stannis almost retired on the spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hockey so much but it's really messing with my sleep schedule. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter summary is a tricky thing to write if not a lot happens in the chapter. Renly and Stannis talk, so that's something.

Stannis was in media availability after the match. After he’d dealt with them, he was pretty sure Renly would be gone. Still, he went and checked the visiting team’s locker room. Renly was still there, putting his shoes on. Loras sat next to him, all dapper in his dark green suit. Renly was sitting with his back to Stannis. Loras noticed him and looked ready for murder. 

“The Great Ass himself”, he said, voice quivering with anger. Renly turned to look at Stannis. 

“Your insults hurt worse and worse”, Stannis said, before he could catch himself. “Renly, wanna talk?” 

“Sure. Loras, give us a second.” 

Loras left, but not without bumping his shoulder into Stannis’s arm. Quite forcefully, even. Renly patted the place he’d just left. 

“Park your great ass here, Stan.” 

“What, that’s what he meant?” 

“Well, you are a great ass, but you also do have a great ass. I’ve heard people comment on it.” Renly had an angry-looking bruise on his right cheek. Stannis sat across to him and tilted his head. Renly looked bored. 

“You are not in pain, then”, Stannis assumed. 

“No, not really.” 

“Good.” 

“Yeah, it’s fine.” 

They sat in complete silence for a few seconds. Stannis didn’t know where to go with the conversation. He hadn’t meant to hurt Renly. And he hadn’t really, Renly had just lost his edge and hit his face into the boards. 

“What’s up?” Renly asked finally. 

“I just... came to see how badly you were hurt.” 

“Not badly. My pride hurts worse, because I could’ve stopped you if I hadn’t noticed blood on the ice”, Renly explained. “I was always the better skater.” 

“Well, you can’t leave your opponent unguarded.” 

“Can’t leave your opponent unguarded”, Renly repeated mockingly. “I was leaking and I didn’t know how badly, I thought they might stop the play.” 

“I don’t know if I agree.” 

“Obviously you don’t, you scored!” Renly clapped Stannis on the shoulder. “I don’t blame you, it was a great goal.” 

“Thanks. Shireen was watching tonight.” Stannis had no idea why he thought Renly needed to know that. Renly smiled thinly. 

“I’m sorry”, he said. 

“For what?” 

“For asking you if you’d fixed her face. I thought you might want to, but obviously it bothered you.” 

Stannis had to take a few calming breaths, before he spoke again. “Why the fuck would you think I might want to... to fix her face?” 

“Well, she has those scars.” 

“I know she does.” 

“She might want them fixed. They’re kinda hard to miss.” 

“They don’t seem to bother her. Why would Selyse and I remove something that doesn’t harm her? It would just make her self-conscious. Who knows what imperfection she’d notice next!” 

“You could fix all of her imperfections, you’ve got money.” 

He has no children, Stannis reminded himself. He doesn’t know. “It’s not about money, or me. I don’t want her to think she needs to be fixed. She’s healthy, and that’s enough.” 

“I guess”, Renly said. He had always been good-looking. And not only that, he had surrounded himself with all things beautiful and perfect. Loras was very handsome. In fact, Loras’ whole family was very attractive. Elegant, even. Stannis had too many sharp edges and dark shadows, so Renly liked to keep his distance. Wanting to fix imperfections was in his nature. Stannis was too set in his ways to be fixed. Renly must have noticed. 

“She thinks you’re a good player. You should be flattered”, Stannis said, just to change the subject. Flattery always worked, where Renly was concerned. 

“I am! Who’s her favourite?” Renly grinned. Stannis gritted his teeth, and Renly laughed. “I’m kidding! Obviously, it’s Horpe.” 

Renly got up, and so Stannis did as well. Renly was just putting his suit jacket on, when Stannis remembered that Selyse had been out all day buying new shoes and wedding presents and gods only knew what else. 

“Are we still... invited to your wedding?” 

Renly seemed surprised. “Of course. Why wouldn’t you be?” 

“Because... Loras called me some names after the game. I thought he wouldn’t want me there any longer.” 

“Well, he is less than pleased with you, but he’ll come around. I need you there.” Renly leaned closer. “You’ll have to keep an eye on Robert, or nobody will.” 

“I’m touched.” 

Renly booped Stannis’ nose. “I know! Love you, Stan.” 

Renly left, much happier than Stannis had expected him to be. Stannis wandered back to his own locker room. Only Andrew, Justin, and Gendry were still there. 

“How was he?” Andrew asked at once. Stannis shrugged. 

“Kinda smug. He apologized, though.” 

“He apologized for being hit?” Justin said, confused. 

“No, for commenting on Shireen’s face.” 

“Oh, I’m gonna punch his lights out”, Justin said. It was sort of heart-warming. 

“Don’t, at this point it’d be illegal”, Stannis pointed out. “I appreciate the offer, though.” 

“It still stands!” Justin went and hugged Gendry tightly. “I’ll kick anyone’s ass for the Baratheons.” 

“I’m not a Baratheon”, Gendry pointed out. 

“I’m sorry, but nobody’s as Baratheon as you. May I approach the captain?” 

“Fine.” Stannis allowed Justin to kiss his cheek. It was his game-winning tradition, and not even a very strange one. Rolland Storm had devised a pre-game ritual so intricate, that it involved every single player on the team, and nobody could remember anyone else’s part of it. Stannis thought it was ridiculous. Superstitions in general were. But he would indulge his team on this. Whatever helped them win. 

“Your girl should be happy with this outcome”, Andrew said. “Tell her I made all the saves for her.” 

“I should hope you made some of them for us”, Stannis said. 

“For you ugly fucks? Yeah right.” Andrew said bye and left.  
...

Stannis went and showered, and when he came back, everyone had left. It was blessedly quiet, and Stannis sat down, sighing. He had flattered himself by thinking he was a good father. Or at the very least, a predictable one, who made only right choices for his daughter. He had thought ignoring Shireen’s scars had been an especially easy one. He hadn’t been aware of another option before having it thrown in his face tonight. Thinking about it now, asking his daughter if she wanted her face fixed... Stannis could see her big blue eyes looking back at him, wondering, pleading. She would want her face fixed then. She would think Stannis wanted to fix her face, that would be it. She only wanted to please. 

“Yeah, no”, Stannis said. He started getting dressed. Shireen would never hear about this from him. 

...

Selyse gave up. Shireen was too excited to stay in her room, so Selyse allowed her to lie down on the living room sofa. She had her pillow and blanket and stuffed fox, and every time Selyse looked at her, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Selyse didn’t mention it. She had a book and a cup of tea, and Stannis was going to have the privilege of putting Shireen to bed. He had been the one to whip her into a frenzy. 

There was the sound of a key rattling in the lock, and Shireen’s eyes flew open again. When Stannis stepped into the room, there was a tiny, white-clad blur, and Shireen collided with him so forcefully, he had to brace himself against the wall. 

“Oh, Shireen!” he said. “You’re not asleep?” 

“Of course not! Oh, daddy, you scored!” Shireen’s voice rose and rose, until it broke. Stannis chuckled and picked her up as easily as he would a kitten. 

“I did. And I brought the puck for you.” Stannis reached into his pocket and handed her the puck. She liked to build pyramids with all the pucks Stannis had brought her. 

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Shireen squealed. One would think he’d given her a diamond. She wrapped her thin little arms around Stannis’ neck, and Stannis held her tight. He stroked her hair and closed his eyes, and Selyse couldn’t help but think something had happened. 

...

Stannis sat on the world’s smallest chair next to Shireen’s bed and watched as the girl turned the puck over in her hands. Shireen was so young, it frightened Stannis. How could he handle such a tiny little thing with his big, rough hands? He had punched somebody’s tooth out just last spring. Rolland had picked it up off the ice and handed it to the guy, as a keepsake.

“Andrew wanted me to tell you he made all those saves for you.” 

Shireen looked at Stannis with the most delighted smiled on her lips. She got up on her knees and kissed Stannis on the cheek. Then she got back under the blanket. Stannis smiled. “That was very sweet, thank you.” 

“I would have given uncle Andrew a kiss as well. Will you tell him I said so?” 

“I will. First thing tomorrow.” 

“Was it fun? Scoring?” 

“Yeah. I’ve done it before, you know.” 

“I know!” Shireen was up on her feet before Stannis could protest. She took a puck from a pile on the windowsill. “This one was against Winterfell! It was an empty net, but it counts.” She picked up another. “This was against Pyke. You had two assists too. You were the first star that night.” 

“Your memory is very good.” 

“I put some stickers on them, so I’d remember.” Shireen put the pucks back carefully. “I’m very proud of you.” 

She tried so hard to sound serious and grown-up that she ended up sounding younger than ever. Stannis, on the other hand, was more frightened than ever. “I’m glad you think so. Come back to bed now. You’re going to be tired tomorrow.” 

Shireen put her latest treasure at the very top of the pile and crawled back under the blanket. She slipped her hand into Stannis’. “I’m so happy you’re my daddy”, she said. Stannis was absolutely mortified. He didn’t know what he was supposed to answer. How was Shireen so happy with such a clueless father? 

“I’m happy too.” It was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard, but Shireen looked satisfied. She fell asleep, still holding Stannis’ hand. Stannis sat on the world’s smallest chair and couldn’t bring himself to pull his hand away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know where to go with Rinkside from now on, so this may be the end? Or maybe I'll write about the wedding, or about more on-ice shenanigans. We'll see what happens! I have no control over my own life, after all!


	7. The wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every fanfic should have one. Weddings are fun.

“Daddy! How do I look?” 

It was the morning of Renly’s wedding, and Stannis had dressed himself without much difficulty, which seemed to surprise Selyse for some reason. As if Stannis had forgotten to tie his tie just in time to look like an idiot at his brother’s wedding. 

Now, however, Shireen stood in front of him in her light blue dress. It had a belt and a bow at the waist, and she had light-coloured flats on her feet. Selyse would probably call the colour nude, which made no sense to Stannis. Shireen’s hair was curled into neat ringlets and arranged on her shoulders and down her back. She turned her head, so Stannis could see the bow in the back of her head, same blue as her dress. She looked at Stannis with those big, searching eyes. Stannis felt an expectation in her gaze. She was truly terrifying for a little girl with no fewer than two bows on her person. 

“You look beautiful”, Stannis said. He smiled quickly. She smiled back, and Stannis felt his own smile getting wider. It had been the right answer, apparently. 

“You look very handsome, daddy. I like your suit.” 

Stannis glanced down at the suit he’d bought two years ago but hadn’t had the courage to wear very often. It felt too extravagant for a game day suit. He had worn it a year ago, at the all-star event. The jacket was dark green velvet, and the black trousers had a shiny strip of satin running down the side seam of the leg. He paired it with a black shirt and tie. Jaime Lannister had followed him and made some jokes on the red carpet, but Stannis had forgotten what specifically they were about. Shireen liked the suit, so he couldn’t look that ridiculous. 

“Oh, you’re wearing that jacket”, Selyse said, stepping back into the room. “Good.” 

It was a blessed thing she added the “good”. She was wearing a well-tailored blue dress, much darker than Shireen’s. Her hair was up on some sort of a bun, and she was wearing her fox-shaped brooch. Stannis considered changing the jacket into something blue himself. Maybe they should match. But Renly had requested that his brothers wear something dark green, so they’d match with Loras’ siblings. And silly as it was, today was about Renly. Stannis had checked, and Robert had promised to wear a green tie with his black suit. If Robert was going to cooperate, Stannis wouldn’t start misbehaving. 

“You look beautiful”, Stannis said to Selyse, who looked rather more taken aback than was necessary. 

“Thank you. I do try.” Selyse adjusted Stannis’ jacket. “Goodness, I forgot you had this suit. It looks good on you.” 

“It suits you”, Shireen said quietly and giggled. 

“Oh, took me a second. Suits you”, Selyse repeated, giggling. Stannis had never giggled in his life, but he laughed a little. Shireen’s eyes sparkled. 

... 

Robert ran towards Stannis as soon as they stepped out of the car in front of the wedding venue. He looked clean and sober, which was a relief. He also looked somewhat frantic, which was a scary look on a man as big and loud as Robert. 

“Stannis!” he shouted. “I forgot the gift!” 

“You didn’t. It was my responsibility.” Stannis pointed at the gift they’d purchased together, neatly wrapped and with a stylish card on top of it. Selyse was holding it, and so Robert landed a big, relieved smooch on her pale cheek. Selyse couldn’t completely hide her disgust, but luckily Robert had already turned to look at Shireen. 

“Well! You look pretty as always, miss Baratheon!” 

“Thank you, Uncle Robert. You look handsome.” 

“Thanks.” Robert’s suit looked a little tight, but otherwise acceptable. And he was wearing a forest-green tie. Stannis couldn’t ask for more. Robert seemed to be appraising Stannis’ look as well. “You look good too, Stannis. Been hitting the gym?” 

“As always.” 

“Well, keep hitting it, so you can finally lead my team to the cup!” Robert jabbed at Stannis’ side with a meaty finger and laughed heartily at the yelp it earned. Shireen giggled, too. Selyse seemed to be silently praying for strength. Stannis had to smile at her thinly veiled annoyance. 

“I’ll try”, Stannis said to Robert. “Your wife seems to be waiting for you.” 

Robert glanced over his shoulder at the beautiful woman in a striking red gown and three children at her side. He groaned. “So she is. You’ll come say hi later?” 

“We’re seated at the same table.” 

“Oh, good. Don’t know how I’m gonna handle all these... Tyrells.” Robert turned and walked back to his family. Selyse leaned closer. 

“Cersei seems to be wearing red.” 

“Yes.” 

“At a wedding.” 

Stannis didn’t know what to say to that. It was probably a breach of etiquette, but he didn’t know for sure. Shireen piped up. 

“Is it wrong to wear a red dress at a wedding?” 

“Well, it’s not wrong per se, but it’s a little too eye-catching.” 

“Is pink fine?” Shireen asked, waving shyly at her cousin Myrcella, who was wearing a frilly pink dress and looking very much like her mother. Myrcella waved back. 

“Yes, pink is fine.” 

“Well, let’s go”, Stannis said and held out his arm to Selyse. Selyse took it, and Stannis felt Shireen’s hand slip into his on the other side. Stannis felt ridiculously protected between them. 

... 

“Why is Loras’ mom crying?” Shireen whispered to Stannis, as Loras read his vows. 

Stannis glanced at Loras’ mother, who indeed was wiping at her eyes on the other side of the aisle. Stannis shrugged. “She’s just happy, I think.” 

“But she’s crying!” 

“Some people cry when they’re very happy. Mothers especially. I don’t know why, so don’t ask.” 

Shireen looked at her own mother, who watched the proceedings with mild interest. She glanced at Shireen. “Sweetie... shh.” 

Shireen fell quiet. She looked at Stannis, who nodded. It was indeed rude to chat while people were getting married. Stannis looked at Renly, who looked happy and not bruised in the least, as he recited his own vows. He was by far the most handsome Baratheon in the room, in his black tuxedo and green and white boutonniere. Their mother might have cried too. She had been so tender-hearted. A little like Shireen. Stannis glanced at his daughter furtively. She was blinking furiously, her face all scrunched up like she was in pain. Was she trying to cry? Selyse noticed and put her hand on Shireen’s leg. 

“Stop making faces, Shireen.” 

“Sorry, Mommy.” 

The ceremony was nearing its end. Renly and Loras shared a kiss, and Robert whistled. It was very much like him, and Stannis threw him a look. Robert raised his hands in defeat. Stannis clapped politely, like a normal person, and Robert followed suit. So did his children and wife. Joffrey, the eldest, was yawning openly. Stannis had never liked the boy. 

... 

At reception Shireen was seated between Daddy and Myrcella. Myrcella was one year younger than Shireen, and pretty like the princesses in Shireen’s books. Her hair was curled as well, and her dress was pale pink and sparkly. 

“You look so pretty together, girls. Look at me, I’ll take a picture”, Aunt Cersei said. Shireen and Myrcella smiled at her. “Thank you, lovelies. Selyse, Stannis, how about a picture?” 

“Oh yeah, Stannis, give us a smile”, Uncle Robert said and laughed. He looked around. “When do we get something to drink?” 

“Robert, Renly and Loras haven’t even arrived yet”, Daddy said. He smiled for Aunt Cersei, but sounded tired. 

“Uncle Stannis, you gave Uncle Renly a real beating a couple of weeks ago”, Joffrey said loudly. “Wonder how he hid the bruises?” 

“Well, if you ever decide to start playing hockey, you’ll find out that not all bruises are intentional”, Daddy said, his voice suddenly kinda angry. “And as to that other point, my guess is makeup, but I’m sure he’ll tell you himself if you ask.” 

Aunt Cersei smiled and put her hand on Joffrey’s shoulder. “Joff does play hockey, Stannis, I’m sure it’s been discussed.” 

“Does he?” 

“I really would kill for some booze.” Uncle Robert looked around again. 

Myrcella nudged Shireen. “Look, Shireen, Mommy got my ears pierced.” She moved her golden curls so that Shireen could see the tiny, pink, butterfly-shaped buttons. They were shiny like diamonds. Shireen wondered if diamonds could be pink. 

“They are so pretty.” Shireen was sure her mommy wouldn’t let her get her ears pierced. 

“I know.” 

“Say thank you, princess”, Aunt Cersei said, looking at her phone. 

“Thank you, I know.” 

Shireen and Myrcella giggled. Aunt Cersei smiled at Myrcella. 

... 

Stannis was just about to go looking for Renly and Loras, when they finally arrived. There was, of course, a flock of green-clad women and men arriving before them, among them Loras’ sister Margaery, who flung about pink and white rose petals like a youthful deity of inconvenience. Stannis almost choked on a petal, as he drank to the happy couple’s health. Renly looked happier than before, if possible, and Stannis knew he would never be rid of Loras’ confrontational presence for as long as he lived. Maybe he should have drank to his own health, he thought, as they sat back down. 

“What a handsome couple”, Cersei said with a well-rehearsed smile. Robert grunted and looked mournfully at his empty glass. 

“Yes”, Stannis said, apparently startling Cersei, “they are. Very happy for them.” 

“What a valiant effort to sound human, Stan.” Robert turned to his sons. “You know, boys, the easiest way to get under Stannis’ skin is to show a little emotion. He’s allergic to it.” 

Stannis made eye contact with Robert as he drained his flute with as much enjoyment as he could fake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. Things are only gonna get more fun at the reception, believe you me. I am not accustomed to writing about weddings, but I am an accomplished guest. That's gotta count for something.


End file.
